Mexico-Alaska Part I Summary (Cancun to Seattle)

After a day of errands in Seattle, I flew back home on June 4th and set out to finish writing up the stories in my blog.

This trip was longer and bigger than our 2007 NYC-SF tour and more varied in terms of terrain, weather, and culture. I beat my previous records in distance per day (148 miles), speed (49.3 mi/hr), overall distance (4,819 miles / 7,754 km), and duration (76 days). Biggest uphill: Panamint Range in Death Valley National Park.

MM cycled 19 days and 1,107 miles, of which 8 days and 423 miles were in Mexico.

Here are some additional stats for those who asked:

Avg. daily distance (excl. rest days)*: 72 mi (116 km)

Avg. daily distance (incl. rest days)*: 65 mi (105 km)

Avg. riding days between rest days: 8.5

Longest days:

148 miles! – day 46, Flagstaff, AZ

113 mi – day 35, Midland, TX

105 mi – day 33, Menard, TX

…in addition, there were many days over 90 miles.

Shortest days:

29 mi – day 41, Magdalena, NM — due to strong headwind and a FedEx screw-up

36 mi – day 45, St. Johns, AZ — due to fear of frostbite because of below-freezing night after 3 snow storms and inability to dry clothes

Free vs. paid accommodations:

In Mexico:

1 free hotel night

24 nights in hotels or guest rooms (paid but pretty cheap)

In the U.S.:

26 nights camping or staying with friends

24 nights in hotels/motels

Seven rest days (not cycling):

Day 4, Merida, Yyucatan

Day 11, Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche

Day 22, Tampico, Tamaulipas

Day 31, San Antonio, TX

Day 42, Magdalena, NM

Day 55, Las Vegas, NV

Day 65, Black Rock Desert, NV

* A couple of days do not count due to non-ride-related delays: one day in Merida spent waiting for Masha’s plane stuck in NYC; the day we rode to Seybaplaya was spent mostly dealing with family issues in NYC.